Feb 24 2017

This Week in Forensic Science

No one has hours to scour the papers to keep up with the latest news, so we’ve curated the top news stories in the field of Forensic Science for this week. Here’s what you need to know to get out the door!

You know that famous saying—those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it? While it can be applied to numerous situations, the forensic professionals at the 69th Annual American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) meeting are taking it to heart.

That impression of the legal system—as absolutist, adversarial, and unconcerned with scientific nuance—has been around for decades. But how common is the view among scientists, and how does it change after the experience of testifying or consulting on a case?

Around 50 delegates from 32 African countries met at Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) on Saturday and discussed the importance of forensic science in crime detection and prevention in the global context.

While the answer to the question “why can’t we all just get along?” may seem complicated, the Honorable Donald Shelton appeared to sum up the answer in one simple phrase last week during his jurisprudence session at the 69th Annual American Academy of Forensic Sciences conference.

Two bills that would allow police to take DNA samples from people who are arrested, but not yet convicted, are steadily advancing — but lawmakers have added safeguards for people who may have been falsely accused.

A single small burial room in the ruins of Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon held the richest cache of rare and valuable materials – turquoise, silver, abalone and conch shells – ever found in the American Southwest.

The last Neanderthal died 40,000 years ago, but much of their genome lives on, in bits and pieces, through modern humans. The impact of Neanderthals’ genetic contribution has been uncertain: Do these snippets affect our genome’s function, or are they just silent passengers along for the ride? In Cell on February 23, researchers report evidence that Neanderthal DNA sequences still influence how genes are turned on or off in modern humans. Neanderthal genes’ effects on gene expression likely contribute to traits such as height and susceptibility to schizophrenia or lupus, the researchers found.

Keith Harward was wrongly convicted of a grisly rape and murder and spent more than 33 years in prison. The main evidence against him were alleged bite marks found on the victim. Over the course of two trials, six bite mark analysts said the marks were a match to Harward’s teeth. He was finally cleared by DNA testing last year.

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